First-generation immigrants, men and younger patients are at risk of treatment delays for first-episode psychosis, study findings indicate.
Educational level, premorbid adjustment and being a second-generation immigrant were not, however, associated with duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), report S Apeldoorn (University of Groningen, the Netherlands) and colleagues in Schizophrenia Research.
The association may be due to the fact that first-generation immigrants are less familiar with mental illness and mental health services or are more reluctant to admit they have a psychiatric problem that requires treatment. Language barriers may also play a part, say the researchers who go on to suggest that future research should look for interventions that may shorten DUP in first-generation immigrants.
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[For more of this story, written by Laura Cowen, go to http://www.medwirenews.com/47/105775/Psychiatry/Untreated_psychosis_duration_linked_to_age,_gender_and_immigration_status.html]
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